One Shots
by Lolagemeow
Summary: A series of one shots about Irina Spalko. Mostly Irina/Mutt and Irina/Dovchenko. Please read :
1. What Goes On Behind The Tent Flaps?

What goes on behind the tent flaps?

Dovchenko was sat on a log in the centre of the camp. The other soldiers were all dancing around happily and singing. They were all drunk except him. He only drank occasionally, just like Irina Spalko. or Colonel Spalko as he was supposed to call her. He got up and walked over to the opening of the tent in which Indiana Jones was being kept prisoner. He stood and watched. He had not woken up from the sedative yet. He probably wouldn't for a couple of days. That sounded great. He went over to the tent opposite. Colonel Spalko's tent.

'Colonel?' He called in. There was no answer. He called again. No answer. He slowly stepped in. Her bed hadn't been made. The sheets were scattered and one of the pillows was on the floor. He looked over at her desk. She was fast asleep, her head resting on a map and her arms either side. He smiled to himself. She probably hadn't had a good nights sleep in a while. He went over to her bed and made it for her. Then he went back over to her and gently picked her up. She stirred a little but didn't wake. He slowly and gently lay her on the bed. He took off her boots, her belt and her gimnasterka to make her more comfortable. He tucked her in with the sheets underneath one arm.

'So pretty' Dovchenko whispered. She snuggled into pillows and a contented smile appeared on her face. As she turned over, her black hair fell across her face. He gently brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear. Her hair was so soft. She was so beautiful. She didn't think so. He knew she thought that she was ugly. She felt unwanted and unloved. Her parents had abandonerd her when she was quite young and before then they had abused her. She still had a few scars from where they'd tortured her with knives, burnt her with cigarettes and beat her whenever they'd felt like it.

She had mental scars as well. On missions that she wasn't a colonel on, she was very nervous around the other men. Although she tried not to show it, he knew how she felt. She needed someone to tell her that she was beautiful and she needed to feel wanted. Dovchenko wanted to be that person. He was sure that she wouldn't want him back but at least she would know that there was someone out there who was in love with her and someone who wanted her. He decided that the first step would be taken tomorrow. He would tell her she was beautiful but he would be subtle. He wouldn't just suddenly say 'you are beautiful' out of nowhere. He would get talking to her first. He leant down and ever so gently and lightly kissed her forehead. Then he went over to his tent and went to sleep.

The next day he went back to her tent. She was up, washed and dressed. She smelt of soap and shampoo. She'd been up a while because she had washed her hair and it was dry to the point that only the ends were slightly damp.

'Hello Dovchenko' She said.

'Good morning Colonel' Dovchenko smiled.

'You know it's funny, I could have sworn I fell asleep on the desk over there but I woke up in the bed' She said. She had a habit of just jumping into conversations.

'That would have been me' Dovchenko said.

'You put me to bed?' She asked.

'Yes Colonel, I came in to see if you had made any progress and I found you asleep so I thought that I would put you to bed' He said.

'Thank you' She said.

'You are very welcome, have you made any progress Colonel?' He asked. She went over to the map on the desk and he followed. She leant over and pointed at a cross marked. He leant over to look too.

'I was thinking that we could put some soldiers there so that we then have them scattered across the whole area and they can keep watch and I was thinking that we could put some here because...' She carried on talking. He wasn't really listening. He was staring at her. Everytime she turned around when she was talking to him he looked into her icy blue eyes. He loved her eyes. They were unique, pretty. Her naturally long eyelashes framed them perfectly. It made him wonder how someone could abandon such a beautiful, lovely creature.

'Dovchenko?' Colonel Spalko asked. He became aware that he had been daydreaming.

'Yes, sorry Colonel' He said.

'What were you looking at?' She asked.

'Oh uh...' He trailed off and went bright red.

'Dovchenko' She said, raising an eyebrow.

'I was looking at your eyes' He said.

'Why?' She asked.

'They're very pretty, you're pretty, in fact you're beautiful, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen' He bluted out. Shit! It wasn't meant to come out like that. Her eyebrow dropped and her mouth opened.

'You think I'm beautiful?' She asked, smiling a little. She didn't usually smile so he guessed he had said the right thing.

'Yes, I do and I really like you' He said, looking down.

'You like me?' She asked. He nodded. She was smiling completely now.

'Somebody likes me?' She asked.

'Yes they do, I want you Irina Spalko, I love you' He whispered. Then he decided to take a risk. He gently touched her cheek, stroking it slightly. Then he leaned in and kissed her gently. Just once to test the water. He looked into her eyes. She smiled reassuringly for him to continue. Then he melted into a full blown long and gentle kiss. She tasted so nice, he savoured her. Their tongues writhed together as they kissed. When they pulled away he kissed both her cheeks, her forehead, her nose and her lips once more. Then he kissed the soft skin on her neck.

'I love you Irina Spalko' He whispered.

'I love you too, Dovchenko' She whispered. Finally Irina Spalko was wanted and loved. She had found some happiness.


	2. Stalin's FairHaired Girl

Stalin's fair-haired girl

Irina Spalko was sitting in her office doing some paperwork. Dovchenko came in.

'I've got you some coffee Colonel' He smiled. She looked up at him. He loved thos beautiful icy blue eyes.

'Thank you, you didn't have to' She said, smiling a little. Smiling wasn't really her forte.

'I know I didn't have to but I wanted to' He said.

'Well, thank you' She said.

'By the way, Stalin wants to see you in his office right now' He said.

'Right now?' She asked.

'Afraid so' He said. She sighed and led the paperwork on the desk.

'Sorry to be a pain but could you work on some of my paperwork while I'm gone, it needs to be in tomorrow' She said.

'I'd be glad to' He smiled.

'Thank you' She said, she patted his shoulder as she went out. He looked behind him as she walked out of the door. He smiled to himself and got to work. Irina walked through the long maze of corridors to Stalins office. She wasn't a big fan of that creep. The only reason she was his 'fair-haired girl' was because she was the only woman who worked there and because she was beautiful and sexy to him. She shuddered a little as she read the name plate on the door 'Josef Stalin'. She knocked.

'Come in' That voice made her shudder again. She went in.

'Ah, Irina, close the door' Stalin smiled. She did as she was told. He had never made a move on her before but she could sense what he wanted from her everytime she was near him. Some of his thoughts frightened her.

'Sit down' He said. She sat down in a chair across his desk.

'Mmm... Irina, a pretty name for a pretty girl' He whispered.

'What was I called in for General?' She asked, getting straight to the point. He stood up and started circling her.

'Because you are a very, very, very pretty girl, aren't you' He whispered, breathing on the back of her neck. She breathed in harshly.

'General, I'm not trying to be rude but could you please tell me why I was called into your office?' She asked.

'Oh you know exactly why' He grinned nastily.

'No I don't, could you tell me?' She asked.

'I have been watching you for a very, very long time now Irina, I have ached for you, your beauty, your body... everything about you. You look so enticing in that uniform but, what is underneath the uniform? Hmm?' He asked. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. What was he going to do?

'I don't think I'm what you're looking for General' She said hastily when she was able to speak again. She went to get up but her grabbed her and sat her back down again.

'Are you in a relationship Irina? Don't lie to me because I can check your file' He said.

'No' She said, looking down. Stalin sat back down in his chair on the other side of the desk. She calmed down a little but her terror rose again when he told her what to do next.

'Stand up' He commanded. She did as she was told. He got up again and went over to her.

'Unbutton your gimnasterka, now!' He commanded.

'W-Why?' She asked. He belted her across the face making her yelp.

'Don't question me! Do you want your job?' He yelled.

'Look General-' He cut her off.

'Do you want your job?' He yelled again.

'Yes I do sir' She said.

'Do as you are told then' He said. She shakily undid the buttons on her gimnasterka revealing a white button up tank top.

'Unbutton that as well' He said. She did as she was told revealing her bra. She looked down. He grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall violently. Terror filled her eyes. He touched her bra cups, gently rubbing the area where her nipples would be. She looked away as a tear ran down her face. He kissed her neck gently.

'Kiss me' He whispered. She did as she was told and kissed him. She tried one last attempt to escape. She bit his lip hard and kicked him where it hurt. As he was on the floor she tried to run to the door, only to find that it was locked with a key. She turned around in terror as he came at her. He grabbed her and belted her across the face. She yelped as he punched her in the stomach, making her fall to the ground. He got down to her level and smacked her again.

'I was going to be gentle sweetheart but now you've made me very, very angry' He yelled. He ripped her bra off, pinching and biting her breasts. She yelped as he bit too hard.

'Shut up!' He cried. He pulled the rest of her clothes off and admired her amazing body.

'I bet you're so good in bed when you want to be' He whispered. Then he cupped his hand over her mouth and raped her.


	3. All By Ourselves

All by ourselves

The rocks and stones tumbled around them. What was left of Akator falling to the ground. Irina Spalko and Dovchenko had made a narrow escape from the power of the skull but could they make it out without being stoned to death first? Dovchenko grabbed hold of Irina and got on top of her. He kept her head down, protecting her. She covered her eyes. When they heard the last rocks tumble they made a run for it. They ran until they reached the bottom of the mountain.

'Let's find a clearing to camp in' Dovchenko said. Irina nodded breathless. They managed to find a clearing. They had nothing to sleep on or in.

'Looks like we're under the stars tonight' Irina said.

'Yeah, it'll be pretty chilly so we'll try and make a fire' He said. They found some wood relatively near the camp and piled it up. They managed to light a fire and sat near it. They sat in silence until Irina broke it.

'Thank you' She said.

'For what?' He asked.

'For protecting me when the rocks were falling down' She said.

'You're welcome' He said.

'Why did you do it?' She asked.

'Why wouldn't I?' He asked.

'Because you hate me' She said. He got up and went over to her.

'Why the hell would I hate you?' He asked, sitting down next to her.

'Because I'm a bitch' She said, laughing a little.

'No you're not, you've never been nasty to me or hit me, you've been pretty much quiet apart from when we've needed to talk about the mission' He smiled.

'Thank you' She smiled weakly. She looked down and Dovchenko saw a flash of terror enter her eyes.

'What's the matter?' He asked.

'We failed the mission, we have neither the skull or Indiana Jones' She said.

'So?' He asked.

'So? They'll kill us!' She cried.

'They probably wouldn't kill me but yes they would kill you, if we went back that is' He said.

'What do you mean?' She asked.

'We don't have to go back, they think we're dead anyway' He said.

'You're right, but we have nowhere to live, no job, nothing' She said.

'Yes we do, I have a house that my mother passed down to me, it's in England and I've used it as a holiday home for the past few years so it's in good condition. It has everything in it' He said.

'You have that but I don't' She said.

'Irina, I'm asking you to live with me' He said.

'Really?' She asked.

'Yes, we can get you some new clothes, you can have your own room. We can both get little jobs maybe in a cafe or a shop and we'll be just fine' He smiled.

'But why would you do that for me?' She asked.

'Why wouldn't I? Besides, I like you... a lot' He smiled. Her eyes filled with tears.

'Whats the matter now?' He asked.

'No one has ever wanted me to live with them before or do anything nice for me, thank you so much' She said, she suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

'Oh' He said in surprise. He wrapped his arms around her. When they pulled away she looked a little embarrassed.

'Sorry, I don't know what came over me' She said.

'It's okay, now this fire is going to go out pretty soon so we'd better keep each other warm' He said.

'Okay' She smiled. They led down together and he put his arm around her to keep her warm. She was so thin that she needed to be kept extra warm. When they lived together he was going to make sure that she ate well. She snuggled into his chest and smiled contentedly. She yawned and closed her eyes. He smiled to himself. She was so beautiful, even when she was asleep. She opened her eyes suddenly.

'You think I'm beautiful?' She asked. He'd forgotten that she was phsycic.

'Uh... yeah I guess I do' He smiled.

'Thank you, I think you're very handsome' She smiled. He was so in love with her. His heart ached as he looked into her eyes. She put her hand to his chest.

'You love me so much your heart aches?' She asked, her eyes filling with tears again. He nodded.

'Yes, I do' He whispered.

'No one has ever loved me before' She whispered.

'Well someone does now. I have loved you since I first saw you. I swore I would do anything to protect you and I hoped that one day you would love me back' He whispered.

'I have loved you for a long time too, there is no one day about it' She whispered. He leant down and kissed her gently. The rush of love and happiness that flowed through his body as he felt her kissing back was unexplainable. When they pulled away he kissed her forehead.

'I guess you won't be needing your own room now' He whispered into her ear. She grinned.

'No I won't' She said. Then they fell asleep. Content that their love for each other was true.


	4. Ungratefullness

Ungratefullness 

Irina Spalko's husband, Mikail Spalko was sitting on the sofa in the living room of their flat. His had gotten back from work an hour ago and his wife would be home soon. Their marriage wasn't going so well. They never argued or fought but they never showed affection of any kind to each other. Whenever Irina tried to put her arms around him or kiss him, he would pull away. He knew it hurt her feelings and he'd done it so much that she just didn't bother anymore. He still loved her and she still loved him. He heard the door unlock and Irina walked in.

'Hello' She said. He looked up but didn't say anything. She went into the bedroom to get changed. Mikail's friend Jorge was coming over in a few minutes. They were work mates and Jorge's ex-girlfriend had kicked him out so he needed a place to say. Irina didn't mind. Jorge was very quiet and didn't make a lot of noise. He was also very nice to her. She came back out of the bedroom in skinny jeans and a white tank top. She went into the kitchen to make dinner. There was a knock at the door. Jorge came in.

'Hello Mik' He grinned.

'Alright Jorge?' Mikail smiled. They did their matey handshake and sat down.

'Alright Irina?' Jorge called.

'Hello Jorge' She called back.

'What's she doing out there?' Jorge asked.

'I dunno, making dinner or something probably' Mikail said. Irina came in.

'I've made the bed for you in the spare room so you'll be very comfortable and you can stay as long as you want seeing as you are the only person who is nice to me around here' She said, scowling at Mikail.

'Thank you Irina' Jorge smiled. She sat down in the armchair.

'Aren't you making dinner?' Mikail asked.

'Yes but I've put everything in the oven so I don't have to go out there for another twenty minutes' She said.

'Well isn't there any washing up?' He asked.

'No, I did it this morning while you were in bed' She said.

'Well is there anything that needs doing?' He asked.

'You just want to get rid of me don't you' She said.

'Pretty much' Mikail said. She rolled her eyes and got up.

'That's just mean Mik' Jorge said.

'Why?' Mikail asked.

'She's your wife' Jorge said.

'And?' Mikail asked.

'You love her don't you?' Jorge asked.

'Yes' Mikail said.

'Then why don't you cuddle or kiss her?' Jorge asked.

'I can't be bothered' Mikail said. Jorge shook his head. Irina served dinner a few minutes later.

'Am I allowed to eat with you?' She asked sarcastically.

'Yeah I guess' Mikail said. She sat down next to Jorge.

'You still working for the KGB?' Jorge asked.

'Yes, I hear you work with Mikail' Irina said.

'Yes, we're in the same position' Jorge said. Irina didn't really know much about Jorge because she didn't see him very often. When they'd finished dinner Jorge and Mikail went back into the living room. Irina started doing the washing up.

'Aren't you going to help her?' Jorge asked.

'Nah, she can manage' Mikail said. They sat on the sofa.

'She's so pretty' Jorge said.

'Who?' Mikail asked.

'Irina' Jorge smiled.

'You can look but you can't touch' Mikail said.

'It's not as if you touch her is it' Jorge said.

'Are we back on this again?' Mikail asked.

'Yes, I hate to see such a beautiful and caring woman being treated the way you treat her. She loves you so much and she does everything for you and yet you can't even spare a kiss, a cuddle, a hug, a nice comment or any affection at all. She deserves to be loved' Jorge said. Mikail looked down. Someone finally had gotten through to him.

'Why don't you go out there now, tell her she's beautiful and you love her and give her a kiss and a hug. Then when she finishes that washing up, I want you to sit on this sofa with her and hold her close' Jorge said. Mikail nodded. He got up and went into the kitchen. Irina looked over her shoulder.

'What do you want?' She asked. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

'You're so, so beautiful and I love you more than anything else in the universe. You know that right?' He said. She turned around.

'I love you too' She smiled. They shared a long and sweet kiss.

'When you've finished come in and join us' Mikail said. She nodded.

'Okay baby' She said. He went back in to Jorge.

'How did that feel?' Jorge asked.

'Amazing' Mikail said. Irina came in and sat next to him. He pulled her close and kissed her.

'I'm gonna go to bed now, if you don't mind' Jorge smiled.

'Okay, goodnight' Mikail said.

'Goodnight Jorge' Irina smiled.

'Goodnight' He said. Then he went into his room and shut the door. Mikail and Irina decided to go to bed too. They got into their pyjamas and slid into bed next to each other.

'Come and have a cuddle beautiful' Mikail smiled. Irina shuffled over to him and snuggled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head. He was a changed man.


	5. Together Again

Together Again

Irina Spalko and Antonin Dovchenko had been married for three years. Over the years they seemed to have drifted apart. They didn't cuddle or kiss anymore. At night they would stay on their separate ends of the bed and if they did end up in each others arms they would usually just turn over. They still loved each other but they just couldn't be bothered to show it. One day Irina came out of the bathroom and into the living room.

'Dovvy' She said.

'Yes' He said.

'I have something to tell you' She said.

'What?' He asked.

'I'm pregnant' She said.

'You are what?' He asked, jumping up.

'I am pregnant with your child' She said, frustrated a little.

'How do you know?' He asked. She rolled her eyes.

'I did a pregnancy test you dumb ass' She said.

'But that's just one test' He said. She dissappeared back into the bathrrom and then came out again and held up four other tests.

'Oh' He said.

'You don't sound very happy' She said. He walked over to her and put his arms around her. He kissed her cheek.

'Of course I'm happy, I just don't understand how' He said.

'I thought your parents gave you the sex talk ages ago' Irina said, sarcastically.

'I don't mean that, I mean, we haven't had sex for ages' He said.

'We did about three weeks ago, on valentines day, you got all romantic with me and we had sex' She said.

'Oh yes I remember now' He said.

'I'm that good in bed, you don't even freaking remember when we've had sex' She said. Then she realised that she was still in his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

'You're amazing in bed gorgeous' He smiled. He kissed her on the lips and went into the bedroom. She raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

2 months

Irina was two months pregnant. She had been for a scan and eveything was fine. She and Dovchenko were sat up in bed together. She was led on her back gently stroking her stomach, which was still flat. She was smiling happily to herself. Dovchenko loved seeing her smile as he hadn't seen it in a while. He leant over and started gently kissing her stomach.

'This baby is going to be amazing' He whispered. Then he gave Irina a long kiss on the lips.

'That was nice' Irina whispered.

'I love you so much' He smiled.

'I love you so much too' She smiled.

3 months

Irina was starting to show a little bit around the bottom of her stomach. She smiled and stroked it in the mirror.

'Dovchenko!' She called.

'What?' He asked.

'I'm showing a little bit' She smiled. He came in and had a look. He stroked her stomach.

'So you are' He smiled, kissing her. He hugged her.

'I've always wanted to have babies' Irina smiled.

'So have I but I couldn't imagine having a baby with anyone else but you' Dovchenko smiled.

'Me neither' Irina smiled. He kissed her cheek and nose.

'You're so pretty' He whispered.

'No I'm not, don't lie' She smiled.

'Yes you are' He said.

'Am not!' She grinned. She ran away and Dovchhenko ran after her. He caught up with her and pulled her onto the sofa with him, tickling her. She giggled.

'You are the most beautiful woman in the universe so shut up' He grinned. She laughed and rolled over.

4 months

'I've got a bump!' Irina grinned, gently rubbing the small bump. Dovchenko rubbed it too.

'Baby is getting big' He smiled.

'Baby sure is' She grinned, He loved seeing her so happy. She got into bed next to him and turned out the light.

'Goodnight Dovvy' She whispered, settling down.

'Goodnight Irina' He whispered. They fell asleep. Dovchenko woke up in the night to find Irina fast asleep facing him. Her hand was on her bump and there was a small smile on her face. He smiled and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He could see her face in the moonlight. She opened her eyes a little.

'Sorry did I wake you?' Dovchenko asked.

'No, I'm a light sleeper remember' Irina said. He gazed at her icy blue eyes in the moonlight.

'What?' She asked.

'You're so beautiful, you have such pretty eyes' He whispered. She laughed a little.

'I like having someone to tell me I'm pretty' She whispered. He kissed her nose, cheeks, forehead and lips.

'I love you' He smiled.

'I love you too' She smiled. He opened his arms and she shuffled into them, gently resting her head on his chest. Her hand moved from her bump to his chest and her grasped it slightly. He kissed it and then kissed her forehead.

'So, so pretty' He whispered.

5 months

The bump was a bit bigger now and it was very visible that she was pregnant. Irina and Dovchenko were sat on the sofa cuddled up together.

'Oooh!' Irina suddenly shrieked.

'What?' Dovchenko asked, alarmed.

'The baby is kicking' Irina said.

'Oh my god!' He cried. He put his hand to her stomach as the baby kicked again.

'Oh wow' He whispered. Irins smiled at him. He kissed her.

'Thank you' He smiled.

'For what?' She asked.

'For being an amazing wife and giving me this baby' He smiled. She wrapped her arms around him.

'Thank you for being and amazing husband and giving me this baby, you did some of the work too you know' She smiled.

'I know but you're carrying it' He smiled. She gently stroked her stomach.

'That's an amazing job too' She grinned. He laughed.

6 months

The bump was very big now. Irina was wearing maternity wear. She liked tops that showed her stomach off because she loved seeing her bump. She went to regular scans and had all of the ante natal care.

'You are going to be the best Mama ever' Dovchenko smiled, kissing the top of the head.

'And you are going to be the best Daddy ever' Irina smiled. They had just finished painting the nursery yellow. They didn't want to know the sex of the baby.

'Do you think baby will like this?' Irina asked.

'Yes baby will love it but either way, I don't think that they are going to care about what colour room they are in when they have Irina Spalko to cuddle them. Irina smiled.

'Thank you Dovvy' She grinned.

7 months

'Only two monts left!' Irina cried excitedly.

'I know, I can't wait!' Dovchenko grinned. Irina would sit there for hours just looking at the bump and reading mother and baby magazines. Dovchenko would always rub her stomach if the baby was a little rowdy, no matter what time it was. He would massage her shoulders and back for her. Irina was in the bath and Dovchenko was behind her gently kissing her neck and shoulders.

'I love having you as my husband' Irina smiled.

'I love having you as my wife' Dovchenko smiled, kissing her neck.

'Do you want some ice cream?' He asked.

'Mmm, that would be nice, thank you baby' Irina smiled. He kissed her cheek.

'Anything for my girl' He smiled.

8 months

Irina was practically squirming in anticipation by now.

'The baby will be here soon' Dovchenko kept telling her.

'I know but I can't wait any longer!' She cried.

'I know baby' He smiled. He kissed her gently. He wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her swollen stomach gently.

'Mmm, that's nice' She moaned.

'You look tired' Dovchenko said.

'I didn't sleep very well last night, baby was having a bit of a party' Irina smiled.

'Well, baby does have something to celebrate seeing as you are they're Mama' Dovchenko smiled. Irina smiled gently. Dovchenko got a pillow and put it on his lap.

'Go to sleep baby' He smiled. Irina nodded and led down with her head on the pillow. He gently stroked her hair.

'I love you' He smiled.

9 months

'Dovvy!' Irina cried.

'What baby?' Dovchenko asked.

'My waters have just broken, the baby is coming!' She cried,

'Oh my god! Let's get you to hospital!' Dovchenko cried. He rushed her to hospital. They took her in and gave her a room.

'Baby is finally going to be here!' Irina cried excitedly when they were alone.

'I know baby!' Dovchenko smiled. He sat next to her, stroking her forehead. Five hours later she was ready to push.

'Come on baby you're doing great!' Dovchenko cried. Irina gave one final push and the baby was out. They heard crying.

'It's a boy!' The nurses cried. Irina started crying.

'We've got a son!' Dovchenko cried. He kissed her forehead gently.

'I am so proud of you!' He cried. They handed Irina the baby. She gasped.

'He's so beautiful!' She cried.

'What are we going to call him?' Dovchenko asked.

'Antony, after you' Irina smiled.

'That sounds good to me' He grinned.


	6. Deep Conversation

Deep Conversation

Irina Spalko had Mutt Williams tied up in her tent. She was keeping watch on him to make sure that he didn't run away. She sat on the end of her bed and gazed into the distance uninterested by the entire experience. It was late and most of the soldiers were either on watch duty or asleep. Irina unclipped her sword and pistol from her belt as she did not feel threatened by the boy that was sitting in a chair across the room. She took her belt off to make herself more comfortable. It was tight and constricting her flat- toned stomach.

'Remember I'm still here before you start taking all of your clothes off' Mutt said. She cast him a hateful glance.

'You wish' She said. She took off her gimnasterka as the air was stifiling. She sat back down, resting her elbows on her knees.

'Where did you get all of those scars from?' Mutt asked. He had noticed the scars on her back as she had turned around. She had one on her temple and a couple on her arms too.

'You are in no position to be asking me questions' She said.

'Who says?' He said.

'Just be quiet' She said.

'Not until you tell me where you got thos scars' He said. She sighed.

'If it really interests you that much then I'm sure the FBI has my file' She said.

'Yes but I want to hear it from you, in person' He said.

'Why does it make a difference?' She asked.

'Because they might have lied about you in your file' Mutt said.

'Why do you say that?' She asked.

'Well, the FBI wrote it, that means that they probably hate you and will write crap about you if they want to' Mutt said. She nodded.

'I'm impressed I guess' She said.

'Impressed with what?' Mutt asked.

'You're pretty intelligent for a boy of your age' She said.

'You aren't much older than me and it doesn't take rocket science to work that out anyway' He said.

'True' She said.

'So, where did you get those scars from?' He asked.

'Why do you care?' She asked.

'I just want to know, however you got them, it must have been pretty painful' He said.

'It was' Irina said, looking down.

'What happened?' He asked.

'My parents were very abusive towards me, it's no big deal' She said.

'Yes it is' Mutt said.

'Why?' She asked.

'Why! They hurt you!' Mutt said.

'Isn't that what you want to do?' She asked.

'Why would I want to hurt you?' He asked.

'Because I've hurt you and your family' She said,

'You had no choice, they'd kill you if you didn't!' Mutt said.

'I'm glad that you understand but that's no excuse' She said.

'Yes it is, you have a big heart underneath all of the tough exterior, you just need someone to find it for you' Mutt said.

'I guess so' She said.

'Anyway, seeing as I am probably going to be tied up here all night and you probably won't be sleeping we may as well talk to each other' Mutt said.

'Weren't we doing that anyway?' Irina asked.

'Yeah, I guess' Mutt said.

'What do you want to talk about?' Irina asked.

'Why don't you tell me about your family and your background, I don't really know a lot about you' Mutt said.

'There's not much to tell really, I had a mother and a father who hated me and I had five brothers, we lived in a ukrainian mountain village until my parents kciked me out at the age of fourteen' Irina said.

'Did they abuse your brothers too?' Mutt asked.

'No' Irina said.

'Why did they just pick on you?' Mutt asked.

'Because they wanted six boys and I was a girl and because they thought I was a witch' Irina said.

'That's horrible, what did they do to you?' He asked.

'They beat me up a lot, starved me, locked me outside, shouted at me all the time, called me names, isolated me, stuff like that' She said.

'Oh my god, that's, that's just evil' Mutt said, visibly shocked.

'What about your family?' She asked.

'Well, I grew up in Chicago with my mother and stepfather but he got killed in the war' Mutt said.

'What was your stepfather like?' Irina asked.

'He was abusive towards me, he used to do the same sort of things as your parents did but not as violenty, he was a little more lenient and he just did it because he wanted me out of the way' Mutt said.

'Oh, I'm sorry that's horrible' Irina said.

'It's okay, it was a long time ago, my life is better now' He said.

'Good' She said.

'What about yours? He asked.

'What?' Irina asked.

'Is your life better now?' He asked.

'No not really' She said.

'Why?' He asked.

'Dovchenko' Irina said. Mutt remembered him. He looked pretty tough and he knew from experience that he could really hurt someone. It was then that his attention was drawn to a small, very faded mark on Irina's cheek and a few bruises on her arms. Some of them actually looked like finger marks.

'Has he been hurting you?' Mutt asked. The previously emotionless face was faltering and her eyes filled with tears.

'Yes' She said.

'What's he done?' Mutt asked.

'Well, it started out with him just shouting at me and calling me names but then he started hitting me and then a few weeks ago, I was in here minding my own business when he came in and pinned me up against the wall. He started kissing me and telling me that I was beautiful. Then he pinned me down and raped me' She uttered, tears falling down her face. She was shaking a little. It was then that Mutt began to feel sorry for the poor woman.

'That's horrible' Mutt said.

'I know and the other soldiers aren't much better, calling me names all the time and leering at me, undressing me with their eyes' She cried.

'What do they call you?' He asked.

'They call me stupid, ugly, unwanted, unloved, worthless, witch, useless, that kind of stuff' Irina said.

'None of what they say is true' Mutt said.

'Yes but it is, I am stupid, I am ugly, I am worthless and useless and nobody wants me or loves me' She cried.

'No you aren't, you're intelligent, you're very pretty and I want you and I think I'm starting to fall in love with you' He said. She looked up when he said the last part.

'What?' She said, stunned.

'Earlier I said that you have a big heart underneath all of the tough exterior, well you do and I want to be the person who makes it even bigger' He said. Her eyes filled with tears again but this time they were happy tears.

'I think I'm starting to fall in love with you too but I don't think you'll want me when I tell you this' She whispered.

'Tell me what?' He asked.

'You know I told you that Dovchenko raoed me?' She uttered.

'Yes' He said.

'I think I'm pregnant with his baby' She whispered.

'Then I can help you' Mutt said.

'You'd really do that for me?' She asked.

'Yes' He said.

'Thank you so much, you are the only guy who has ever treated me right' She said.

'Untie me' Mutt whispered. Without a thought she went over to him and untied him. Before she could say or do anything, he was kissing her. Massaging her lipsp softly, making the moment last. All you could hear were their lips as they kissed. When they pulled away, she looked into his eyes. She led down on the bed and he got on top of her. They kissed again.

'I think I've fallen in love with you now' Mutt smiled.

'Me too' She whispered. Then she did what she hadn't done for a while. She smiled. He kissed her again.

'You are so beautiful Irina Spalko' Mutt smiled.

'And you are so handsome Mutt Williams' Irina smiled. He kissed her again.

'Let's run away together' He whispered.

'Let's' She smiled. She grabbed her things and then they ran into the night together, never letting each other go.


	7. Reunited

Reunited

'This hotel room is so small!' Irina cried. She and Dovchenko were on a mission. They were staying in her old village that she had grown up in. Coming down in the taxi which had taken them to the hotel had been enough to bring back all of the bad memories and ghosts of her past. What if her parents still lived here? What if they still hated her to this day? Did her brothers still live here too? All of these questions were spinning around in her head as she sat down on the hotel bed which she and Dovchenko had to share. Neither of them could sleep on the floor because there was barely enough room to walk around and neither of them fancied sleeping in the shower.

'I know but we are only here for three weeks' Dovchenko said. It was late and they were both tired which commited to Irina's short temper. They took it in turns to use the bathroom and then they got into bed.

'Just to warn you, I have a habit of cuddling things in my sleep so if I start cuddling you then you know why' Irina said.

'Okay, why do you do that?' Dovchenko asked.

'I guess it's because I never had them when I was little' She said. Then she turned out her bedside lamp and settled down.

'I'm going to read a book for a bit so do you mind if I leave my light on?' He asked.

'That's fine' She murmured sleepily. She fell asleep and he read his book. within fifteen minutes of her being asleep she started cuddling him. He smiled to himself and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her head was in an awkward position so he moved it onto his pillow so that she didn't strain her neck. Her arm was draped across his chest and she was nuzzling into his arm. He put the light off and settled down himself being careful not to wake her. She looked so peaceful. She snuggled in further when he lay down. As she snuggled in Dovchenkos thoughts wandered to what she had said. What did she mean when she said that she never got cuddles when she was little? What had happened to her? He suddenly felt very protective of her and pulled her closer to him. He fell asleep eventually. The next day Irina woke up to find that Dovchenko had his arms around her and was cuddling into her back. She lay there enjoying the sensation until he woke up.

'Oh sorry' He said, realising what he had done.

'It's okay, I liked it' She said, smiling a little. That was something he hardly ever saw and he treasured it whenever he did. He smiled back at her.

'You have a pretty smile, you should use it more often' He smiled.

'I wish I could' She said.

'Am I really that bad?' He asked.

'You're forgetting that you are the reason I smiled in the first place' She said.

'Ah, yes' He said.

'Listen, I'm going to go for a walk around the village, do you mind?' She asked.

'No, not at all, just be careful, it's not safe for pretty women to walk the streets alone anymore' He said.

'That's why I'll be completely safe' She said. Then she went into the bathroom to get ready and then left. Irina's mind filled with thoughts again. She longed to meet her parents one more time, even after what they'd done to her. She just wanted to know if they had changed and if they had wanted or loved her at any point in her life. SHe truly doubted that. She walked past her old school. Children were in the yard playing. She saw a little girl segregated from the other playing groups. She was sitting alone on a bench, secluded at the back of the playground. It was as if she didn't want to draw attention to herself but she stuck out like a sore thumb. Irina knew how she felt. She used to feel that way. She walked around to the side of the fence that the girl was on.

'Hello' Irina called. The girl turned around.

'A-are you talking to me?' She asked.

'Yes, what's your name sweetie?' Irina asked.

'Petrova, what about you?' Petrova asked.

'Irina, are you okay?' Irina asked.

'Not really' Petrova said.

'What's the matter?' Irina asked.

'Nobody likes me here, nobody wants to play with me' Petrova said.

'Can I tell you a secret Petrova?' Irina asked.

'Yes, I promise I won't tell anyone' Petrova said.

'I used to be just like you but then as I got older, more people wanted to be my friend and the people who treated me badly, ended up in the same position as I was' Irina said. That wasn't true but this girl wasn't a phsycic like she was. She probably had the love and affection of her parents.

'Really?' Petrova asked.

'Yes, but you must never hurt anyone else because you will be just like them and you don't want that do you?' Irina said.

'No' Petrova said.

'See, you're already better than any of them! I've got to go now but remember what I said' Irina smiled.

'I will, thank you!' Petrova smiled. Irina waved to her and then carried on walking. She made her way into the centre of the village. It hadn't changed one bit. She remembered walking through there to get to school every morning. She never went there voluntarlily. Her parents wouldn't let her. It was probably for the best anyway. As she looked in the shop windows she accidently bumped into someone.

'I'm ever so sorry' Irina said. Then she looked up and instantly recognised who it was, it was her eldest brother Dimitri. He recognised her too. She swallowed and looked down. She felt fear in the pit of her stomach.

'Irina?' He asked.

'Dimitri' She said. Suddenly he hugged her and the fear went away.

'My little sister! She's come back!' DImitri grinned.

'I'm on a mission here with my friend Dovchenko' She said.

'Oh wow! Are you working for the KGB?' He asked.

'Yes, I'm a colonel now' She smiled.

'That sounds amazing, I was just going to get some lunch in the cafe around the corner, do you want to join me?' He asked.

'I haven't got any money' She said.

'It's okay, I'll buy you some, besides I owe you something for what I did to you' He said. She nodded.

'Thanks' She smiled. She followed him to a cafe where they sat down and ordered.

'You haven't changed one bit, you're still as amazingly pretty as you were back then' He smiled.

'Thank you, what are you doing now?' She asked.

'I work in Dad's factory' He said.

'Do Mum and Dad still live here?' Irina asked.

'Yes, in the same house' He said.

'Oh wow! What does my room look like?' She asked.

'We left it the same' He said.

'But why? I would have thought that you would have wanted to erase any memory of me' She said.

'They desperately want you back, they regret their actions towards you every single day, they mention you at least ten times a day, you're their only little girl and they love you, I feel the same way' Dimitri said.

'I've already forgiven you, you're being so nice to me' Irina smiled.

'I have something to tell you anyway' Dimitri smiled.

'What?' She asked.

'You're an Aunty Irina' Dimitri smiled, getting out his wallet.

'Really? Oh wow!' She cried. He handed her a picture of two boys and a girl.

'Aren't they lovely! What are their names? How old are they?' Irina asked.

'Christians twelve, Tomas is seven and Irina is four' Dimitri smiled.

'Irina?' She asked.

'Yes, my wife and I named her after you' He smiled. Her eyes filled with tears.

'You named one of your children after me?' She asked.

'Yes' He smiled. He leant over and kissed her cheek as tears rolled down her face.

'Thank you' She whispered.

'I've missed you so damn much, Mum and Dad want their little girl back as well' He said.

'I'd like to see them again' She smiled.

'They're out of town for a two days so you can see them then' He smiled. She nodded.

'I'd love that' She said.

'So have you got a husband or any babies yet?' He asked.

'No but I really like Dovchenko' She said.

'Isn't that the guy you're here with?' He asked.

'Yes, he's back at the hotel' She smiled.

'I'd like to meet him' DImitri said.

'You can come and see us at the hotel tomorrow if you like' Irina smiled.

'I'd love that' He said. When Irina got back to the hotel she had a massive grin on her face. Dovchenko looked at her suspiciously.

'You were a while' He said.

'I know, I went out to dinner with a guy' She smiled, teasing him a little.

'Oh?' He asked.

'He's my brother Dovchenko' Irina smiled.

'Oh! That's okay then' Dovchenko smiled.

'Why would you be concerened about me seeing someone else anyway?' She asked.

'No reason' Dovchenko said.

'Dovchenko?' She said, raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips.

'So what if I like you a little bit... or a lot?' He said.

'You like me?' She asked.

'Does it matter?' He asked.

'Yes it matters a lot because if the answer is yes then...' She trailed off as she went over to him and kissed him on the lips.

'The answer is definately yes' He said. He grabbed her head in his hands and kissed her passionately.

'I like that answer' She whispered, as she kissed him again. He gently pushed her up against the wall and kissing her as he went. He started kissing her neck and chest.

'Mmmm, I like that' She moaned.

'Your skin is so soft' Dovchenko murmured into her neck.

'So are your kisses' She whispered. He kissed her forehead gently.

'How about I take you out for dinner tonight?' He asked.

'Mmm, I'd love that' She smiled. He kissed her again, hugging her close. That evening they went down to the hotel restraunt for dinner. Irina wore a black zip up halter-neck dress that showed her curves and legs off perfectly and Dovchenko wore a tux.

'You look so beautiful as always' Dovchenko smiled, kissing her cheek.

'Do not, you look handsome as always though' She smiled. They ate dinner and then went back up to the hotel room.

'So tired' Irina groaned, throwing herself down onto the bed. Dovchenko got ready for bed and then came to sort Irina out. She was so tired that she couldn't even undress herself.

'Come here beautiful' He smiled. She smiled weakly and crawled over to him. He lifted the halter over her head and gently undid the zip kissing her back slowly and gently as he did so.

'Mmmm, keep kissing me Dovchenko, it will help me get to sleep' She smiled. He kissed her shoulders and then put her PJs on for her. She lay back under the covers. He got under with her and started kissing her. He kissed all over her chest, neck and face, making her smile contentedly. He led down next to her, letting her snuggle into him. SHe kissed his chest and then fell asleep. He watched her sleeping. He listened to her breathing and felt her heart beating. He watched her chest rise and fall gently. He smiled to himself and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, kissing her forehead. He fell asleep. The next morning he woke up to find Irina fast asleep, still in his arms. He watched her sleeping again. Her eyes fluttered open.

'Are you watching me sleeping?' She asked.

'Uh, yeah' He smiled. She smiled at him and leant up to kiss his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back, then her moved down to her chest.

'I love you so much Irina' He smiled.

'I love you so much too Dovchenko' She smiled, kissing him. His hands went up her tank top, stroking her back gently.

'My brother is coming over today' She said.

'Is he?' Dovchenko asked.

'Yes, you don't mind do you?' She asked.

'No not at all, what's his name?' Dovchenko asked.

'Dimitri, and I'm an aunty! He's got three children and one of them is named after me!' She grinned. He loved seeing her so happy. He kissed her chin gently.

'That's sweet' He smiled.

'I know' Irina smiled.

'You have got the most amzingly pretty eyes I have ever seen, they're so icy blue and shaped nicely' He said, playing with a strand of her hair.

'Mmm, thank you Dovvy but you know I'm never going to believe you' She said.

'I know but there's no harm in trying' He said. She gave him a final long kiss and then got up.

'My brother will be here soon' She said. They got ready and cuddled up on the sofa. There was a knock at the door.

'That must be him' Irina said. She got up and answered the door.

'Hello!' Dimitri smiled.

'Hello' Irina grinned, hugging him.

'And you must be Dovchenko' Dimitri said, walking over to shake his hand.

'Yes, it's nice to meet you Dimitri' Dovchenko smiled. Irina sat next to Dovchenko. He kissed her cheek.

'So you two are finally together then?' Dimitri asked.

'Yes' Irina smiled. Dovchenko looked confused.

'Irina was telling me yesterday that she really like you' Dimitri smiled.

'I certainly was' Irina smiled. Irina's phone rang.

'Sorry, I have to take that' She said. She got up.

'I've got to pick something up from the store in the village, will you two be okay here?' Irina asked.

'Yes we'll be fine' Dovchenko smiled. Irina went over to him and kissed him.

'Be careful beautiful' He smiled.

'I will, I'm really sorry about this Dimitri' She said.

'It's okay' He smiled. She left.

'You really love her don't you' Dimitri said.

'I do, she's so beautiful and kind and loving, she's perfect' Dovchenko said.

'Treat her right, don't let anybody tell you any different, I never got the chance' Dimitri said.

'I will, what happened?' Dovchenko asked. Dimitri sighed and looked down.

'Before I tell you, I'd just like to say I have regretted this ever since she has been gone and I spend every living moment replaying everything in my head and wishing I'd done something instead of just being scared' Dimitri said.

'Okay' Dovchenko said.

'It all started when Irina was 9 months old, my mother and father were severely pissed off because she was a girl and not a boy like they had wanted and planned so they took it out on her' Dimitri said.

'What did they do to her?' Dovchenko asked.

'They'd beat her if she cried, they'd leave her in her cot for days on end and wouldn't even come into her room. They tortured her a lot. When she was in the bath they would put her head under the water and make her cry. She didn't have any toys and if she tried to play with ours, we would hit her and so would our parents. Once she crawled into my fathers study and she pulled herself up so she could look at what he was doing. She fell and in the process pulled my fathers tea over. I remember never hearing her cry and scream so much in my entire life. We all went to see what had happened and it turned out that he had smashed her face against the wall multiple times and had broken her nose' Dimitri said.

'At 9 months old?' Dovchenko cried.

'Yes, it was disgusting I know' Dimitri said.

'It was' Dovchenko said.

'It gets worse, they carried on abusing her right through her life, they would starve her and lock her in rooms for long periods of time. They even locked her outside for three days, forgetting she was out there. They wouldn't buy her anything and she relied on second hand clothes that my aunt gave to her. My parents started to abuse her for no reason. They would walk up to her and slap her across the face or kick her. When she was around seven her phsycic powers showed up so that made things worse. They told her that she wasn't special enough to go to prom and they never bought her birthday or christmas presents. She was made to watch us opening us and she was also made to come with us to get my brother a suit for the prom. I remember Irina looking at the dresses with so much longing, dissappoinment and hurt in her eyes. They abandoned her shortly after and I don't know what happened to her after that' Dimitri said. Dovchenko was in tears.

'I love her so much, to hear that just breaks me' He sobbed.

'I know and I'm sorry' Dimitri said.

'Do they feel any remorse?' Dovchenko asked.

'Who?' Dimitri asked.

'You dickhead excuses for parents' Dovchenko cried.

'Yes, they desperately want her back and she wants to see them again' Dimitri said.

'That's more like it, she deserves so much better than that' Dovchenko cried.

'She does and I'm sorry' Dimitri said. Just then Irina came in.

'Hi guys...' She trailed off when she saw Dovchenko in tears.

'What's the matter?' She asked. He got up and walked over to her. He kissed her and held her close.

'I will never let anyone hurt you, never, I will give my life to protect you if I have to, you mean everything to me' He whispered.

'Thank you Dovvy' She whispered back. Later on they were in bed. Dimitri had left hours ago and they were led cuddling each other.

'Dimitri told me everything' Dovchenko whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

'Everything about what?' She asked.

'Your childhood' Dovchenko said. She looked down.

'I'm sorry to bring it up' He said.

'No, it's okay, it's all in the past now, I've already forgiven them' She whispered.

'But why? They hurt you so much' Dovchenko whispered.

'They're my parents, I love them and if they want me back then that's enough of a reason for me to forgive them' Irina whispered. He nodded.

'I understand, but I don't think I can forgive them' He whispered.

'That's okay' She smiled.

'Let me kiss your neck' He whispered. She lay on her back and let him kiss her neck.

'Mmm, I love you Dovvy' She whispered.

'Mmmm, I love you too' He whispered. The next day it was time for Irina to reunite with her parents. She walked through the village, past her old school. She noticed that Petrova was now joining in and playing with the other children. She waved at her as she went passed. She walked the same route she'd walked on her way home from school. The route she always made last longer than she actually needed too, just to avoid a few more minutes of that beating. She walked opened the gate and walked up to the now shabby looking house. She knocked on the door. An old woman opened it.

'Mama?' Irina asked.

'Irina! Alexsandr! Come quickly Our baby is back!' Her mother cried. She hugged Irina long and hard. Her father appeared.

'My little girl!' He cried. Time had changed them.

'We are so sorry, we love you so much and we always will!' They cried.

'It's okay, I forgave you a long time ago' Irina smiled. She followed them into the house where her now complete famiy awaited.


	8. An Interesting Lunctime

An Interesting Lunctime

Irina Spalko was sat alone at her desk in her office. It wasn't unusual for her to be alone. It was lunchtime and she was just finishing off some work. She always stayed in her office at lunchtimes. Nobody wanted her in the common room or the canteen so she kept to herself and didn't bother anybody. She heard a knock at the door.

'Come in' She called. Dovchenko walked in. She was a little surprised to see him.

'Hello Colonel' He said.

'Hello Dovchenko, you do know it's lunctime don't you?' She asked.

'Yes, I was wondering if you would like some company, I'd hate to think of you being in here all on your own. I'm not trying to be patronizing at all and I don't think you're weak, it's just... I know you are lonely and I think you need someone to talk to now and again' He blurted out.

'I would love to have some company, thank you Dovchenko' She said, smiling a little. She seemed happy to have someone there with her for once. He sat down in the chair in front of her desk. He got out a sandwich, crisps and a cookie while she reached into one of the drawers in her desk and brought out a small salad.

'That's your lunch?' Dovchenko asked.

'Yes' Irina said.

'No wonder you're so thin, why don't you eat more?' He asked.

'It's all I can afford nowadays, what with my rent being so high' She said.

'Have some of my lunch' He said.

'No, I can't do that, it wouldn't be fair' Irina said.

'Yes it would, I'm offering you it' Dovchenko smiled. She looked into his eyes with her beautiful icy blue eyes.

'If you insist, but I'll only have a little bit' She said.

'Here' He said, giving her half of his sandwich, half of his cookie and some crisps.

'That's way too much' She said.

'No it's not, come on' He said.

'If you absolutely insist, thank you very much' She said. She started nibbling on the sandwich.

'So where do you live? I'm not being a stalker I promise' He smiled.

'In a flat on the outskirts of the town centre' She said.

'I thought the rent was quite low there' He said.

'It is for the people my landlord doesn't want to sleep with all the time' Irina said.

'What? I mean I don't blame him for wanting to sleep with you but that's just out of order' Dovchenko said.

'You don't blame him for wanting to sleep with me?' She asked.

'No, you're very pretty, beautiful in fact' Dovchenko said.

'You really think so?' She asked.

'Yes, I've always thought that' Dovchenko said.

'So does that mean that you'd sleep with me?' Irina asked.

'Yes, but not just because you're beautiful, I'd want to sleep with you because you have a lovely personality, when you're not on duty that is but even then... you're still beautiful' Dovchenko said, slightly embarrassed.

'In that case, I'm going to admit to thinking you are very handsome and having a crush on you ever since I first saw you' Irina said.

'Are you being serious?' He asked.

'Completely' She said.

'I've been waiting for this day since I first met you Irina Spalko' He whispered.

'So have I, kiss me' She whispered back. Then before she could say anything else, he was kissing her passionately.


	9. Anyone You Want

Anyone You Want

Irina and Dovchenko had 'been together' for two years. Dovchenko had forced Irina to be with him after knowing her for over eight years. He made her think that he loved her but really he only wanted her body. She hated him but he made her feel like he was the only person who would ever love her. Even though he beat her and raped her all of the time and made her feel worthless. He would hit her for no reason and he would make her do horrible things just to please him.

Mutt was tied up against the pole in their tent. Irina hated being horrible to him and his family but she had to, otherwise Dovchenko would kill him and his family. Mutt was so handsome. Irinas heart pined for him but she knew she could never have him. He was too good for her. She had fallen in love with him the moment she had seen him. She wanted to be with him so badly. Dovchenko was sat up in bed reading a book while she lay on her side and looked into the distance. Mutt looked at her. He really didn't like Irina. He thought she was malicious and horrible. A person who killed and hurt people for the sake of it. Out of selfishness. How wrong was he. Irina poked around in his mind. When she found this out her heart dropped. He hated her? She felt her eyes fill with tears and she tried hard not to cry. She buried her face in the sheets. Mutt looked over at the bed and saw her. He hadn't seen the violence that Dovchenko inflicted on her. It wasn't long before her did.

'Irina, turn over now!' Dovchenko commanded. She turned over and looked up at him timidly. He started to unbutton her tank top.

'Dovchenko please! Mr Williams is in here!' Irina whined. He belted her across the face violently, making her yelp. Mutt jumped and looked up horrified. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Had he just hit her? Dovchenko got on top of her violently and pinned her down. Squeezing her wrists as hard as he could.

'I think you need to learn how to behave yourself!' He said through gritted teeth, in her face.

'Dovchenko! You're hurting me! Please! Please!' She cried, trying to get free.

'You are ugly! Worthless! Useless! And stupid! You deserve to be hurt!' He yelled. He violently pulled her trousers down and entered her. She screamed, making him cup a hand over her mouth. Mutt could only see him moving up and down as they were under the sheets. He held her face so she couldn't turn her head. He made her look into his eyes the entire time. Tears of pain fell down her face. He pulled out of her and slapped her across the face three times.

'That's for trying to disobey me' He said. He turned over. Blood ran down her legs. She hurt inside as well, where he had pounded her so violently. Mutt was completely stunned. How could he do that to her? He started to feel sympathy for her. He guessed why she had been so mean to him and his family. He could see that she had probably had threats hanging over her. He watched her slowly shift over to one side, wincing a little. He suddenly realised something. She was actually really beautiful. She closed her eyes and he watched her fall asleep. Admiring her beauty. The next day Irina was sorting things out on top of the makeshift dresser they had in the tent. Dovchenko came in.

'What do you think you are doing!?' He asked. She tried to swallow her fear.

'I'm just tidying the dresser a little bit' Irina said. He grabbed her violently and threw her to the floor. He kicked her in the stomach.

'Did I tell you to do that!?' He yelled. She shook her head.

'No' She uttered.

'They why did you do it!?' He yelled.

'I-I don't know' She said. He kicked her in the stomach again.

'Leave her alone!' Mutt cried. They both looked over at him. Irina in shock, Dovchenko in rage. He stormed over to him. Irina quickly got up, ignoring the pain and grabbed his arm.

'Leave him alone! Please! You can hurt me but not him' Irina said. Dovchenko turned back round and got ready to give her the worst beating she had ever had.

'Colonel Dovchenko!' A soldier called.

'I'll deal with you later' He growled. Then he walked out. Irina went over and sat on the end of the bed opposite Mutt. She didn't know what to say.

'T-thank you' She murmured.

'For what?' Mutt asked.

'For telling him to leave me alone' Irina said.

'No problem... are you two actually together? You don't seem very happy with him' Mutt said.

'I'm not. He's forced me into being with him' Irina said.

'Would you mind untying me for a moment, my wrists kinda hurt' He said. Irina nodded and went over to him. He caught the scent and softness of her pale skin as she reached around him and untied the knot.

'Thank you' He said. He got up and sat on the bed with her.

'You're welcome' She said, giving him a weak smile.

'So why has he forced you to be with him? Why don't you just walk away?' Mutt asked.

'Because he loves me I guess' Irina said.

'I'm sorry to break it to you but that guy does not love you. When you love a person you do not treat them the way he treats you' Mutt said. Irina looked down.

'Now I think about it, I guess not' She said. Mutt gently lay a hand on her shoulder.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that' He said.

'No, it's okay, I guess I needed that' She said. She looked at his hand gently rubbing her shoulder. His eyes followed her gaze and he snatched his hand away. He cleared his throat.

'Sorry' He said.

'Besides he would never let me leave him' Irina said.

'You could just run away' Mutt said. He saw a tear run down her face.

'I know but... he's the only person who will ever want to be with me' She choked.

'Hey, hey' He soothed. He wrapped his arms around her reassuringly.

'I'm sorry it's just, I've never felt loved and I guess I thought that if he wanted to be with me, he loved me but he was wrong' Irina cried. He held her tighter and gently rubbed her back. He kind of liked holding her. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.

'Irina, you could have anyone you wanted! You are so beautiful and talented and kind hearted and you deserve so much love and happiness' Mutt smiled.

'You think I'm beautiful?' Irina asked.

'I don't think, I know' He smiled.

'Can I have you?' Irina asked. He looked into her beautiful icy blue eyes. She looked back at him. He gently moved a hand to her cheek and stroked it gently. He smiled and then leaned in to give her a soft, sweet, long lasting kiss.

'Absolutely' He whispered.


	10. Safe in my Arms- Part 1

Safe in my Arms- Part One

Irina was in her office looking through some paperwork when he came in. She was sat at her desk, her jet black jaw-length hair falling in her face slightly. Her icy blue eyes were focused on the work in front of her. Her concentration was disrupted when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in" She announced curtly. The door opened and Pioter walked in. He was a colonel just like her. She wasn't in charge of him and he could do whatever he liked which worried her. She obviously didn't display this. He was a lot bigger than her and she was pretty tall. He was muscular and strong. He could overpower her if he wanted to.

"Morning Colonel Spalko" He said, a slight look of menace upon his face. She raised her eyebrows slightly at this and stood up to put the paperwork back on the shelf.

"Morning Colonel Huschenko" She said. She had her back to him as she slid the file containing the paperwork back into place. Pioter took advantage of this moment to admire her. She was pretty. He didn't love her though; it was more of a physical desire. She had caught him leering at her sometimes and she had just ignored it. She thought it was just her imagination because she didn't believe that any man could ever want her. She wasn't a person to the men she worked with, she was an object. She seemed emotionless and almost mechanical but it was all a façade to protect herself from any unwanted attention.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime, get a drink or something" Pioter said, advancing towards her. She scoffed a little and turned round.

"Me?" She laughed. He stopped right in front of her and looked into her eyes.

"Yes, you" He said. He was incredibly close to her and she realised that her back was right up against the wall. She was cornered.

"Um, I'm sorry but...uh-"He cut her off before she could say anymore. He dove right in and kissed her on the lips. She didn't kiss back which angered him for a start but then he felt her hands trying to push him off of her. He pulled away.

"Look, Pioter, you're a nice guy and everything but… I don't think of you in that way and I'm not really looking for anyone right now" She said. He remained silent and stared into her eyes. She could feel his anger rippling through him as he punched the wall right beside her head.

"How dare you!" He yelled. She let a small frightened yelp escape from her mouth. She looked around helplessly and realised that she was trapped. She knew that there was no use in fighting back because he would win anyway.

"I think I need to teach you a lesson in manners Miss Spalko" He said. She watched in fear as he undid his belt. She realised what he was going to do and tried to make a run for it but he grabbed her and shoved her back up against the wall. He punched her in the stomach, making her double over. He pulled her back up again and pinned her against the wall. He started to kiss her neck as he unbuttoned the first two buttons on her gimnasterka. When the bare skin was revealed her reached into her tunic and her breath hitched as his cold hands came into contact with her chest. She decided not to beg for mercy, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She remained silent and decided to wait and see if another opening came up.

"Mmmm… you are so soft Irina Spalko" He murmured into her neck. He let go of her just to undo the buttons on his gimnasterka. She took the opportunity and tried to run again but he got the better of her. She was infuriating. He realised that he wasn't going to succeed this way. He looked into her eyes, the defiant look on her face made him angry. He kneed her in the stomach and let her fall to the ground. He belted her across the face so hard that a gash opened in her cheek and began to bleed. He let his anger take over him. He pummelled, belted, slapped, punched and kicked until he realised that she wasn't moving anymore. He had got her just where he wanted her. He was just undoing the rest of the buttons on her gimnasterka when the door opened.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" That was the last thing Irina briefly heard before she went completely unconscious. She woke up again to beeping. It sounded like a heart monitor. She slowly opened her eyes, still drowsy and looked around her. She was in the hospital. Who had taken her there? Who had stopped Pioter? Suddenly the pain hit her. She realised that her leg and her wrist were in a cast. They were broken. She looked at her arms and legs and saw all of the bruises. She grimaced and lay her head back down on the pillow. She could remember everything. Every kick, punch and slap. She winced just at the thought.

She looked around the room. She was on her own. Not surprising at all. She was incredibly shaken up after her ordeal. It reminded her of life at home with her parents. It was a natural instinct that she had buried deep down and tried to forget. She wasn't supposed to be frightened or feel threatened. She wasn't supposed to cower away whenever someone raised their voice or got angry. She was a Colonel in the KGB for goodness sake. She couldn't be bothered with all of the hard as nails crap now, she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. She had almost forgotten how it felt to feel like this. She was used to the loneliness and emptiness of her everyday existence but she had not had a beating like this since she was fourteen. She was expecting loneliness for the next few days as well. Who would want to visit her? She kept watching endless amounts of people carrying flowers and chocolates for their loved ones through the window of the door in her room. None of them were coming to visit her.

She didn't sleep very well that night. Her body ached and the giant cast on her wrist and her leg got in the way repeatedly. She couldn't turn over very well and she was scared. She kept having flashbacks and hearing noises. She thought that he might find her at the hospital and actually go through with his plan. She kept imagining the door bursting open and Pioter standing there. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to sleep. She woke up to sunlight streaming in through her window. A male doctor came in to give her some pain medication and check her over. She didn't like it one bit. She hated the thought of any man touching her ever again. The idea of ever having sex again disgusted her.

When the doctor left, she started crying again. She hated feeling like this. She had her breakfast and then prepared for another day of just staring into space. When visiting hours came around she looked out of the window in her door and watched all of the people carrying flowers, chocolates and she could even see a teddy bear going past. She looked at the bare counter next to her bed and wished that someone would bring her chocolates, flowers or a teddy bear.

Suddenly someone knocked on her door and looked through the window. It was Dovchenko, one of the other Colonels. He opened the door and walked across to her bed. She smiled weakly and tried to put on a brave face although there was blatant fear in her eyes. He was carrying flowers.

"Hello Irina, how are you today?" Dovchenko asked.

"I-I'm fine thank you" She lied.

"I can see that you're not. You look better than when I found you" Dovchenko smiled.

"You found me? You brought me here?" She asked.

"Yes" He said.

"Why would you do that for me?" She asked.

"What!? I wasn't just going to leave you there! Imagine what Pioter would have done if I had!" Dovchenko cried. Irina shuddered. "Sorry, you probably don't want to talk about it". She nodded.

"So who have you come to visit, if you don't mind me asking?" Irina asked. He looked at her strangely.

"You" He said.

"Really? You came to visit me?" She asked.

"Yes, I was worried about you! I brought you some flowers" He smiled. She looked at him open mouthed. She'd never received any sort of gift before.

"F-for me? Really?" She uttered. He nodded.

"Is that such a strange thing?" Dovchenko said. She nodded.

"It doesn't happen every day" She said. He put them on the counter next to her. He noticed that as he went near her she kind of cowered away slightly. He looked at her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know that right?" Dovchenko said.

"You can never trust anybody" Irina said. He understood.

"Maybe I'll have to prove myself" He smiled. He pulled a chair over to her bedside. "Is that okay? I'm not too close am I?" He said, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

"You're fine" Irina uttered. He hated seeing her like this. He remembered how he'd found her. He'd seen Pioter kneeling over her with his gimnasterka undone and knew exactly what he was about to do. He'd scared him off, trying as hard as he could not to beat him to death. Irina was lying on the ground with her gimnasterka was undone all the way. She was covered in blood and she was barely breathing. He'd panicked and immediately driven her to the hospital praying that she would be okay. They'd never been particularly close but Dovchenko had always admired her. She was incredibly precious to him and he had vowed to protect her until the day he died. She didn't even know it.


	11. Safe in my Arms- Part 2

Been Safe in my Arms- Part 2

Dovchenko continued to visit Irina every single day for the entire week that she was in hospital. He would always bring her a gift, sometimes even two. She loved it. She loved the company and he had noticed that she wasn't so uptight when he came closer to her. She let him sit right by her bedside. That's as close as he could get for now. He wasn't allowed to touch her. Sometimes she would sleep while he was there. He knew that she didn't get much sleep in the night due to her fear of Pioter coming back. She felt safer if someone was there to protect her. She didn't fear Dovchenko, while she was in the hospital anyway. She didn't think he would hurt her but she couldn't be so sure about how she would feel once she left the comfort of the hospital and was forced to go about her daily life again.

Dovchenko loved to watch her sleep. It was the only time she looked peaceful those days. He loved watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed and watching her turn and stir as she slept. Sometimes he would catch her watching her and wonder what he was doing. Sometimes she feared that when she woke up, he would have gotten bored and left but he never did. He was always there to welcome her when she awoke. After about a week a doctor came in to tell Irina that she could go home. These were the very words that she had feared.

"However, you will need to stay with someone for a couple of months while you are healing. You will need a lot of looking after and help. Do you have anyone in mind?" The doctor asked. Irina looked at him blankly. Who the hell would want her to stay with them? Who would want to look after her?

"She could stay with me. If she doesn't mind of course" Dovchenko smiled. Irina was touched by this gesture. No one had ever wanted her to stay with them. She was a little fearful of going to live with Dovchenko but she knew that he was her only choice and he was the only one who would do it. She nodded slowly.

"I would love that, thank you Dovchenko" She said. She wasn't usually one to thank people but she felt it to be appropriate in this case. Dovchenko went back to her flat to pack some things for her while she got ready to leave. Irina was becoming increasingly worried. What if he changed when they left the hospital? What if he was like her parents? What if she did or said something wrong? What if she upset him? She decided that it was probably to follow the same routine and rules that her parents had enforced on her. She would be seen and not heard and would be punished if she did anything wrong. It was usually best just to stay in her room. She heard a knock on the door.

"Ready to go?" Dovchenko asked. She nodded, a weak smile on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, just in a bit of pain that's all" She said, grabbing her crutches. Dovchenko helped her to the car and drove her to his house. It was a lot nicer than her flat. She felt quite out of place when they pulled up outside. He helped her inside and then went back out to the car to get her bags. She surveyed the hallway. It was such a beautiful little house. She didn't feel as though she deserved to stay in such a lovely place.

"Do you like it?" Dovchenko asked. She nodded slowly.

"It's lovely, I-I like the p-paintings" She uttered. There were paintings that lined the walls of the hallway. It reminded her of her father's art studio from when she was younger. Not that she was allowed to go in there of course. She would catch a glimpse of it every now and again.

"Ah yes, I painted them myself. I'm a bit of an artist I guess" Dovchenko laughed.

"They're beautiful" She said. He showed her all of the rooms in the house before taking her to her room.

"This is your room" He smiled. She was shocked. She thought that she would have to sleep on the sofa or at the most a mattress on the floor.

"My room? It's so lovely, are you sure?" She asked.

"Of course I'm sure, do you need any help with unpacking?" Dovchenko asked. She did but she daren't ask.

"No thank you, I think I'll be alright" She said.

"Okay then, I'll leave you to make yourself at home" Dovchenko smiled. Then he closed the door and went back down the stairs. She struggled over to the double bed and sat on it, setting her crutches down on the floor. She started to unzip her bag and pulled everything out. She managed to do this one handed with no trouble. Then she realised that she had to walk across to the dresser which was on the other side of the room. She tried to reach her crutches but couldn't so she got up and stood on one foot. She tried to hobble across the room but fell to the ground. She felt a searing pain in her arm. She had fallen on the broken one. She yelped a little and then heard footsteps running up the stairs. Dovchenko had obviously heard the bang.

"Irina are you alright?" He called. He opened the door to find her on the floor.

"I-I'm sorry" She uttered.

"Come on, I'll help you up. I won't do anything, I promise" Dovchenko said. She let him help her to stand up and sat her on the bed. He started to put her things away for her himself.

"You should have asked for my help if you needed it" He said. Irina was a little frightened. She had already upset him and she had only been there for 20 minutes.

"I-I-I'm sorry" She uttered, quietly. He turned around to grab another pile of clothes and noticed that Irina was cowering away from him slightly. She thought he was going to hit her. He looked at her sympathetically.

"Irina, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to protect you, not harm you" He smiled. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder slowly. She went a little stiff but didn't recoil or pull away. He was making progress. She nodded slowly, looking into his eyes. His heart jumped a little.

"Let's get you unpacked then shall we?" He smiled. They unpacked the rest of her things and then Dovchenko helped her downstairs and sat her on the sofa.

"I'm going to make us some dinner. Help yourself to any books" He smiled.

"Thank you" She said. The bookshelf was right next to the sofa so she didn't have to use her crutches. She looked up and down the shelves. To her delight, there were lots of books that interested her. She had always had a secret passion for art herself but had never done anything with it. She had never been confident enough and had never had the resources. She selected a book about historical art from the shelf and started to flip through it.

Dovchenko could see her from the kitchen through the doorway. He wanted to keep an eye on her because he was worried about her. He loved the smile that crept across her face as she flipped through the book. He hadn't ever seen her smile like that before. He liked it. He loved seeing her happy and actually enjoying something. Her eyes looked so focused and lit up whenever she turned the page. He had become increasingly fond of her over the previous week.

He could still remember the first day he ever met her. He had been sat in the lunch hall with his friends when she had sat down at the table next to theirs. He hadn't known who she was and was stunned when one of his friends had told him that she was a Colonel. He had thought at first that she was doing 'favours' for Stalin or something of that nature but over time he realised that she had become a Colonel out of hard work and dedication. He'd never really had a thing for her. Most of his friends had but it was more of a physical attraction. They weren't interested in a full on relationship with her. Dovchenko had always thought that she was pretty but that wasn't always enough to love someone. Now maybe his feelings were… changing.

"Dinners ready" Dovchenko called. Irina got up and put the book on the shelf. Dovchenko placed the dinner on the dining table which was situated at the back of the living room. Irina sat down gingerly, not wanting to do the wrong thing. He had cooked her favourite meal.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"You told me in the hospital, remember?" Dovchenko smiled. She nodded and started to tuck in.

"Thank you, this is delicious" Irina smiled.

"Thank you, I try my best" He grinned. "I saw you looking at that historical art book in there, did you like it?"

"I did, I loved the pictures! Y-you didn't mind me looking at it did you?" Irina uttered.

"Of course not! I did tell you to help yourself" Dovchenko laughed. "Do you like art as well?"

"I do. I haven't really had much experience with it though" She said.

"I could help you with it, if you would like that of course" He smiled. She thought about it.

"I'd like that very much" Irina said. They finished dinner and then sat down to watch some television. Dovchenko pulled a blanket off of the back of the sofa.

"Would you like some blanket over you?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, yes please" She uttered. He moved a little closer to her so that the blanket would fit over the both of them. He could see how rigid she was just by looking at her.

"Irina, if you don't feel comfortable being this close to me, I can move" He said. She shook her head.

"No its not you, it's just… thoughts" She uttered.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He asked. She had never been one to trust people easily and she certainly wasn't going to trust people any easily now but she felt safe around Dovchenko. She could sense that he wasn't going to hurt her and the kindness that he had shown her made her realise that she could trust him and tell him things that she wouldn't usually share with others. She was living with him after all.

"I-I just get worried about being alone at night, after what happened. I keep thinking that he's going to come back. Does he know where you live?" Irina asked. Dovchenko shook his head.

"No he doesn't so don't worry. Would you like me to stay with you tonight? If you don't feel comfortable with it then it's okay you can just find me if you need me" He smiled.

"Would you mind staying with me? I'm sorry to be such trouble but I find it so hard to sleep and everything" She said.

"I don't mind staying with you at all. I will stay with you for as many nights as you want me to" He said.

"Thank you. I think you are the only man I will ever feel safe with now" She whispered. He was touched by this but also saddened. She would find it difficult to go back to work because everyone she worked with were men. He wondered if Pioter had ruined her entire life. He knew how devoted she was to the KGB and if she couldn't successfully complete her work then she would be at a loss.

They went up to bed at 10:00pm and Dovchenko made a bed up for himself on the floor near the door so that she would feel safe. He helped her into her bed and tucked her in because she couldn't do it herself. She snuggled in contently and smiled at Dovchenko.

"Would you like me to help you get to sleep?" He asked. She nodded.

"Thank you" She smiled. He slowly reached down, being careful not to startle her and started to stroke her hair gently. She closed her eyes and snuggled up against his hand. She didn't seem to mind him touching her at all. She was actually enjoying it.

"You make me feel safe" She whispered. He smiled.

"I'm glad about that" He grinned. She looked into his eyes. She had become very fond of him herself. She found herself feeling more for him than she thought she should. She didn't think that he would feel the same way. He was just being kind to her in a friendly way. Then something he said made her think a little differently.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this Irina but… you are an incredibly beautiful woman" Dovchenko whispered. She didn't look frightened or scared like he feared she would. She looked surprised. She reached up with her good hand and placed his on top of the hand that was stroking her hair. She grasped it gently.

"Thank you, you are a very handsome man" She smiled. He leaned down slowly and kissed her on the forehead gently. She smiled, reassuring him that he hadn't gone too far.

"You really are too beautiful to be true… may I… kiss you?" Dovchenko asked. She looked into his eyes and nodded. He leaned down and kissed her soft lips like he had never kissed anyone before. He found that she was an incredibly good kisser and was just as passionate as he was as their lips moved together.

"I-I think I love you" Irina whispered. He nodded.

"I think I love you too" He whispered, before leaning down and kissing her again.


	12. Cross my Heart and Hope to Die

Cross my Heart and Hope to Die

It was my first day as a Colonel in the KGB when I met her for the first time. I thought it would just be an average start to any new job. I didn't know that it would shape the rest of my life. I went to see Stalin at 9:00am to fill out a form. It was just some personal information that they 'had' to know. I was shown the bunkers where all the Colonels slept and then I was told to go to the common room where all of the other Colonels were. I had met a couple of them briefly before but not all of them so I was incredibly nervous. I didn't really want to be the 'new guy'.

I was led down a long corridor to a door that had very clearly printed on the door 'common room'. Stalin gave me one curt nod and then proceeded to go back to his office, leaving me on my own. I cleared my throat and tried to calm myself as I opened the door. To my surprise they were all incredibly welcoming. They all came over to shake my hand and introduce themselves. One didn't though. There was a figure in the corner of the room. The person was tucked right into the corner with their head down, reading a book. I wondered why they hadn't come over to say hello and I couldn't help but think how strange their haircut was for a male.

I was offered a cup of tea which I willingly accepted after a nerve-wracking morning. The person didn't budge and inch and I noticed that they weren't offered a drink like everyone else. I thought this was incredibly strange and I was beginning to wonder if the figure was actually there or if I was imagining things. The common room was a rather small room for all of the Colonels. There were a few chairs and tables and a small kitchen but that was about it. There was cupboard with a couple of games in which one of the soldiers retrieved a pack of cards from and invited me to play with. I decided to ignore the figure at the back of the room until one of the soldiers leaned over to me and whispered:

"That's Irina, but we don't really like her" He said. So it was a woman.

"Why not?" I asked.

"She's a woman! She shouldn't be here!" He whispered. I didn't agree at all with what he was saying so I just stayed quiet and carried on playing cards. After about fifteen minutes of playing cards one of the soldiers announced that he was starting a game of spin the bottle. What was this? High School? I wasn't really into that sort of thing so I decided not to play but the other soldiers willingly joined in. Irina wasn't invited to play. I couldn't see her face because it was covered by her jet-black bob cut. I had no idea what sort of age she was or what she looked like. Perhaps she wasn't particularly pretty or something. My attention was suddenly drawn to one of the dares that one of the soldiers was told to do.

"I dare you to kiss Irina!" One of them cried. They all laughed and the woman, at hearing her name, looked up briefly but had obviously been so engulfed in her book that she hadn't heard what they'd said because she looked back down again. She didn't look up long enough for me to see her face properly. It was literally a brief glance.

The soldier gladly accepted the dare which I guessed meant that she wasn't that bad looking. He went up to her and grabbed her roughly and kissed her hard on the lips. I heard a small startled cry and then I could hear her muffled attempts to get him off of her. He eventually pulled away and she shakily went back to her book, not daring to say a word. I wondered what the hell they'd done to her to make her so frightened. Thankfully no other dares of that nature were done.

An hour later, the other Colonels were called off to training, leaving Irina and I alone. I looked over at her. I really wanted to see her face. I moved to sit a little closer to her as I was on the other side of the room. I had decided to make conversation with her but I couldn't think of what to say. Then I remembered the book she was reading.

"What book is that?" I asked her. She looked up at me. My heart jumped. She was beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. She had wonderful bright blue eyes and stunning cheekbones. I was stunned by how beautiful she was. A number of feelings came over me but the strongest one was the feeling of the need to protect her and keep her safe.

"Oh, its uh… a book about art" She uttered. She flashed me the cover.

"Ah, do you like art?" I asked. This was a strong topic of mine as I was a bit of an artist myself on the quiet. She nodded. She was so timid and there was a lot of fear in her beautiful eyes. I felt the need to reassure her so I spoke very calmly.

"I like art too, I do a lot of sketching, I take my sketch book everywhere with me" I said, smiling at her. I saw a small smile cross her lips. She had a lovely smile. It made me go all warm inside. "Would you like to see some?" I asked. She nodded eagerly, her eyes lighting up. I went over to my rucksack and pulled my sketchbook out. I flipped through the pages and showed her all of my sketches. She gasped in delight.

"I-I wish I could sketch like that, I'm not very good at it but I do enjoy it" She said quietly.

"I could teach you if you like" He said. Her eyes lit up again.

"Oh yes please! I would love that" She smiled. She was so sweet; I hated to think of anyone hurting her. We carried on talking for a little while.

"Do you get a separate room because you're a woman?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No… no I don't, you have to pay for private rooms and I don't exactly have enough money for one. That's why I live here" She said.

"That's awful. You shouldn't have to share with all of those men!" I cried, making her jump. "Sorry" I smiled. She relaxed again. She seemed to shudder whenever I mentioned her sleeping arrangements. I found myself to be rather hungry so I reached into my bag and pulled out a packet of biscuits I had bought on my way there. Irina's stomach rumbled.

"Would you like one?" I asked. She looked a little frightened.

"Oh n-no, I-I'm s-sorry my stomach rumbles at the most ridiculous times" She uttered.

"Hey, it's okay, you can have one, I want you to" I smiled, holding out the packet. She eyed it unsurely. It was as if she thought it was a trap.

"A-are you sure?" She asked. I nodded. She slowly reached out and took a biscuit. "You can have more than one" I smiled. She reached out again and took one more biscuit.

"Thank you" She smiled. I took the same amount myself and we sat and ate together.

"Did you want a drink?" I asked.

"Oh, may I?" She asked. I nodded and went over to the sink. I poured her a glass of water and gave it to her. She thanked me and took a long sip. She seemed so hungry and thirsty; I guessed that was why she was so thin. Her waist was tiny but she had nice hips. Suddenly the door opened. They were back. Irina recoiled back into the corner and buried her head back into the book. One of the Colonels, Ivan, was incredibly angry because he had been beaten in a fight. He punched the table but apparently that wasn't enough.

"Get her over here! Now!" He cried, pointing to Irina. Two other Colonels went over to Irina and grabbed her, throwing her book across the room. What were they going to do to her!? I didn't want them to hurt her. Ivan signalled for them to follow him into another room with Irina. I panicked.

"Guys? What are you going to do to her?" I asked. They all turned around and looked at me with strange looks on their faces.

"He's just going to rough her up a bit" One of them said.

"Why? It's not her fault that he lost a fight" I said. They all looked at each other. Ivan started laughing and signalled for the two Colonels to drop Irina. They threw her to the floor and stepped back as Ivan stepped towards me. Irina crawled back over to her seat and stayed there.

"What are you going to do about it?" Ivan asked.

"Whatever I can" I growled back at him.

"You're very cocky for a new guy. You're in a very dangerous position. I'll let you off just this once though" Ivan said. I had guessed from this experience that Ivan was the ringleader of the 'Irina hate group'.

"You're lucky" One of the Colonels sneered. They all sat down and continued to play cards and chat to each other. I retrieved Irina's book and gave it back to her when they weren't looking. She gave me a small smile and nodded as if to say thank you. I nodded back to her and sat back down.

At bedtime, I watched as all of the soldiers got ready for bed and settled down. I didn't see Irina appear until after they had all seemingly gone to sleep. I couldn't sleep because I wanted to know that she was safe in bed. I heard the door open slowly and I saw a figure slip into the bed next to mine. It was Irina. I breathed a sigh of relief. On hearing this she looked up, startled but when she saw it was me she settled back down.

"You're late to bed" I whispered, grinning.

"I don't like to go to bed with the other men. They usually give me cat calls and try and get in with me" She whispered.

"You shouldn't have to put up with this" I whispered.

"Thank you for what you did earlier. No one has ever stuck up for me before" She whispered. I could see her blue eyes flashing in the moonlight.

"You're welcome. I'll do my best to make sure that nothing happens to you while I'm around" I smiled. She nodded.

"Thank you, goodnight" She whispered. I whispered my goodnight back and then watched as she settled down and closed her eyes. I fell asleep not long after but was awoken again by a small cry.

"If you've woken anyone up, you are dead. Do you hear me?" Someone whispered. I immediately knew who it was. Ivan. I didn't want to get Irina in trouble so as much as it pained me. I just listened to see what was going on. I heard some buttons un-popping and a zip being undone. My eyes widened.

"No one is going to know. This is our little secret. Got it?" Ivan whispered. I heard more whimpers for an entire hour before I heard Ivan went back to bed. I heard the soft sound of weeping and looked over to see Irina with her back to me, curled up in a ball on the bed. I wanted to go over and hold her so badly but I couldn't risk being caught and getting her into more trouble. I decided immediately that I was going to get her a private room. I was not having this. Confident that I had solved the situation, I went back to sleep. The next morning I went straight to Stalin's office and requested that I be given a private room.

"I can sort that out for you today. You will have the room by tonight" Stalin said.

"Thank you General. Is it okay for other Colonel's to use the room?" I asked.

"Yes, as long as you are using the room at the same time as them, otherwise they will have to pay for it because they will be the majority owner" Stalin said. I nodded. I thought that could be problem but I was sure that I could sort something out with Irina.

"Thank you sir" I said before saluting and making my way back to the common room. The other Colonels had gone off to training again so Irina was on her own again. She looked up when I walked in and smiled. I admired how brave she was and how she could smile through all of the pain like she did.

"Hello Irina" I smiled. I went over and sat in the chair next to her.

"Hello Antonin" She smiled back.

"I have a proposition for you" I said. She nodded. "I've bought a private room. The bunkers are awful and the beds aren't very comfortable at all. Plus the other Colonels are just annoying. I know how much you hate sleeping in the bunkers so I was wondering, if you wouldn't be too uncomfortable with it, if you might like to share it?" I asked. Her eyes lit up and she gasped.

"Really!?" She cried. I nodded. "Thank you so much! Yes please! I would love that!". She leapt up and threw her arms around me, much to my surprise.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me" She uttered, pulling back. I laughed.

"It's okay! I thought you might be happy" I grinned. She nodded.

"You have no idea how much this means to me" She said. It looked like an entire weight had been lifted off her shoulders. There was more relief in her eyes than happiness.

Bedtime that night was a lot less stressful for both of us. I was shown to the room in the afternoon and then took Irina to see it at bedtime. It wasn't amazing but it had a double bed which looked more comfortable than the others in the bunkers and it made do. Irina was amazed. She obviously didn't get out much. She didn't seem bothered about sharing the bed with me. I sensed that she trusted me and felt safe with me. She slipped into bed next to me without a care in the world and lay on her side to face me.

"You don't mind sharing a bed with me do you?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No not at all. At least I know you're safe here and the door locks" I smiled. She chuckled.

"Have they always been like this towards you?" I asked. She nodded.

"Since I started here" She said. I shook my head.

"You shouldn't be treated like that. The fact that a beautiful woman has made it to the rank of a Colonel is no excuse to throw yourself at her and treat her like a blow up doll" I said. She seemed surprised when I called her beautiful.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked. I nodded.

"Don't you think you're beautiful? You have men at you all the time! Doesn't that say something to you" I laughed.

"They'll go for anything that moves" She said. She yawned and stretched.

"Are you tired?" I asked. She nodded.

"Goodnight" She whispered.

"Goodnight" I smiled. I watched her fall asleep and admired her beauty. My heart thudded for her, pined for her. I watched as she fell into a deep sleep before leaning over and whispering into her ear "I will protect you forever and a day". I pressed a small kiss to her cheek before settling down myself, relieved that I was there to protect her.


End file.
